The invention relates generally to retail display devices for the point-of-sale display of produce and, more particularly, to a produce display stand known as a banana riser that is used to display bananas.
Produce display stands, and in particular banana risers, are well known in the industry. Conventional display stands are constructed of multiple components involving a labor-intensive manufacturing process. In addition, because of the multiple components, seams, joints, gaps, and other structures are of necessity utilized, providing access points to water, mold, and bacteria, which can damage the produce. The device claimed herein seeks to reduce these deficiencies.
In one aspect, the invention is directed to a device for displaying produce, comprising a single-piece display member constructed of a closed cell foam material, such as closed cell pvc foam, with the top surface having a trough which supports produce.
This aspect may include one or more of the following features: the trough is concave and formed into the top surface; there are a plurality of troughs for supporting produce; the sides of the trough are parallel to each other; the inner surface of the trough is curved smoothly downward with the lowest point of the curve located midway between the edges of the trough; the trough extends laterally from the left surface to the right surface; the trough is parallel to each other trough; the trough has the same shape and dimensions as each other trough; the trough is shallow; the top and bottom surfaces of the display member are substantially parallel; the left and right surfaces are substantially parallel; the front and back surfaces are substantially parallel; each surface is substantially perpendicular to each other surface to which it is adjacent; the display member has a width of between forty inches and fifty inches, a depth of between forty inches and fifty-five inches, and a height of between four inches and six inches; and the trough has a width of between six inches and ten inches and a depth of between one and three quarter inches and three inches.
In another aspect, the invention is directed to a method of manufacturing a produce display device from closed cell foam material using compression molding technology. This method includes the creation of a mold which is comprised of a rectangular base member, four rectangular side members, and a rectangular top member, where the inner surfaces of the rectangular base and side members are flat and the inner surface of the rectangular top member has a convex trough pattern, and where the mold contains an aperture providing access into the interior of the mold; the creation of a liquid mixture of closed cell foam material; the insertion of the liquid mixture of closed cell foam material into the mold through the aperture; the heating and application of pressure to the liquid mixture of closed cell foam material within the mold causing the liquid mixture to expand and solidify and completely fill the mold; the removal of the solid closed cell foam material from the mold; and the cooling the solid closed cell foam material.
Other features and advantages of the invention are described below.